19 indicted for attacking protesters during Erdogan US visit

WASHINGTON – A total of 19 people, including 15 identified as Turkish security officials, were indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in the US capital for attacking protesters in May 2017 during a US visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The indictments charge the defendants with attacking peaceful demonstrators who had gathered on May 16 outside the home of the Turkish ambassador, awaiting Erdogan's arrival after he had met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

The case threatens to further complicate already tense relations between the two NATO allies. Ankara strongly opposes the US decision to arm Syrian Kurdish rebels fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey views the Syrian Kurds as an extension of its own outlawed Turkish Kurdish movement and opposes any moves that could lead to the formation of an independent Kurdish state.